Sights in Galway City
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Spanish Arch & Medieval Walls
Framing the river east of Wolfe Tone Bridge, the Spanish Arch is thought to be an extension of Galway's medieval walls. The arch appears to have been designed as a passageway through which ships entered the city to unload goods, such as wine and brandy from Spain.
Today it reverberates to the beat of bongo drums, and the lawns and riverside form a gathering place for locals and visitors on any sunny day. Many watch kayakers manoeuvre over the minor rapids of the River Corrib.
Although a 1651 drawing of Galway clearly shows its extensive fortifications, depredation by Cromwell and William of Orange and subsequent centuries of neglect saw the walls almost completely…
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Galway Cathedral
Lording over the River Corrib, imposing Galway Cathedral was dedicated by the late Cardinal Richard Cushing of Boston in 1965. The cathedral's unwieldy full name is the Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St Nicholas, but its high, curved arches and central dome have a simple, solid elegance even if the greater whole feels rather sterile (although a side chapel with a mosaic of the Resurrection does include a praying JFK in the tableau). The superb acoustics are best appreciated during an organ recital (program dates are posted on the website).
From the Spanish Arch, a riverside path runs upriver and across the Salmon Weir Bridge to the cathedral.
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Eyre Square
Galway's central public square is busy in all but the harshest weather. It's a welcome open green space with sculptures and pathways. Its lawns are formally named Kennedy Park in commemoration of JFK's visit to Galway, though you'll rarely, if ever, hear locals refer to it as anything but Eyre Square.
The street running along the southwestern side of the square is pedestrianised and lined with seating, while the eastern side is taken up almost entirely by the Hotel Meyrick(formerly the Great Southern Hotel), an elegant grey limestone pile restored to its Victorian glory. Guarding the upper side of the square, Browne's Doorway (1627), a classy, if forlorn, fragment from the…
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Kenny Gallery
Established in 1968, West Ireland's first gallery displays an exceptional collection of Irish art in a higgledy-piggledy terrace house. Look out for work by up-and-coming Galway artists, including Charlotte Kelly's abstract landscapes, Kieran Tuohy's bog-oak sculptures (crafted from bog-oak roots preserved in the oxygen-resistant turf for thousands of years), Jennifer Cunningham's prints and Liam Butler's welded copper.
All works are for sale, but even if you're not here to buy, Kenny's offers a glimpse into the future of Galweigan art. Proprietor Tom Kenny is a fount of information on the local scene.
Kenny's also trades antiquarian books online, including many…
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Salmon Weir
Upstream from Salmon Weir Bridge, which crosses the River Corrib just east of Galway Cathedral, the river cascades down the great weir, one of its final descents before reaching Galway Bay. The weir controls the water levels above it, and when the salmon are running you can often see shoals of them waiting in the clear waters before rushing upriver to spawn.
The salmon and sea-trout seasons usually span February to September, but most fish pass through the weir during May and June.
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Salthill Prom
A favourite pastime for Galweigans and visitors alike is walking along the Salthill Prom, the seaside promenade running from the edge of the city along Salthill. Local tradition dictates 'kicking the wall' across from the diving boards (a 30- to 45-minute stroll from town) before turning around. At the time of writing, plans were underway to extend the Prom all the way from Salthill to Silver Strand - about 7.5km all up.
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Bold Art Gallery
There’s never a dull moment at this effervescent modern art gallery, which seems to have a bottomless pit of inspiration when it comes to wit. Works vary between the profane, the beautiful and the moving but are never mundane. The owner is a fountain of local knowledge; ask to see the card showing what happens before and after you drink Guinness.
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Lynch's Castle
Considered the finest town castle in Ireland, the old stone town house Lynch's Castle was built in the 14th century, though much of what you see today dates from around 1600. The Lynch family was the most powerful of the 14 ruling Galway 'tribes', and its members held the position of mayor no fewer than 80 times between 1480 and 1650.
Stonework on the castle's facade includes ghoulish gargoyles and the coats of arms of Henry VII, the Lynches and the Fitzgeralds of Kildare. The castle is now part of AIB Bank and modern-day bankers may wish to shelter behind the thick walls from populist rage.
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Galway City Museum
Adjacent to the Spanish Arch, the Galway City Museum is in a glossy, glassy building that reflects the old walls. Exhibits trace aspects of daily life through Galway's history;
especially good are the areas dealing with life – smelly and otherwise – during medieval times. Look for the photos of President John F Kennedy's 1963 visit to Galway including one with dew-eyed nuns looking on adoringly. Also check out rotating displays of works by local artists. When the roof deck is open, there are sweeping views out to the bay. The cafe is a delightful stop.
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Nora Barnacle House
James Joyce's future wife Nora Barnacle (1884–1951) lived here until shortly before they met in Dublin in 1904. It's now a privately owned museum displaying the couple's letters and photographs among period furniture. Looking all of its 100 years and not helped by a grim grey paint job, the house didn't have running water until the 1940s; instead the Barnacle family used a communal pump across the street. Joyce met his future mother-in-law here in 1909; for his part, Joyce's father said after learning Nora's surname: 'She'll stick with him'.
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Collegiate Church of St Nicholas of Myra
Crowned by a pyramidal spire, theCollegiate Church of St Nicholas of Myra is Ireland's largest medieval parish church still in use. Dating from 1320, the church has been rebuilt and enlarged over the centuries, though much of the original form has been retained.
Christopher Columbus reputedly worshipped here in 1477. One theory suggests that the story of Columbus' visit to Galway arose from tales of St Brendan's 6th-century voyage to America. Seafaring has long been associated with the church – St Nicholas, for whom it's named, is the patron saint of sailors.
After Cromwell's victory, the church was used as a stable, and damaged stonework is still visible today. But St…
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Salthill
A favourite pastime for Galwegians and visitors alike is walking along the Prom, the seaside promenade running from the edge of the city along Salthill. Local tradition dictates 'kicking the wall' across from the diving boards (a 2.5km stroll from town starting at the Wolfe Tone Bridge and following the shoreline path) before turning around. At the time of writing, plans were under way to extend the Prom all the way from Salthill to Silver Strand – about 7.5km all up.
In and around Salthill are plenty of cosy pubs from where you can watch storms roll over the bay.
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Hall of the Red Earl
Back in the 13th century when the de Burgo family ran the show in Galway, Richard – the Red Earl – had a large hall built as a seat of power. Here locals would come looking for favours or to do a little grovelling as a sign of future fealty. After the 14 tribes took over, the hall fell into ruin and was lost. Lost that is until 1997 when expansion of the city's Custom House uncovered its foundations. Now after 10 years of archaeological research, the site is open for exploration. The custom house is built on stilts overhead, leaving the old foundations open. Artefacts and a plethora of fascinating displays give a sense of Galway life some 900 years ago.
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